


A Steady Beep

by catlikeacat



Category: Apex Legends (Video Games)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-27
Updated: 2020-05-27
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:34:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24412897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/catlikeacat/pseuds/catlikeacat
Summary: The sound was driving Renée crazy.Not the heart rate monitor, that was her only anchor to this world, really.But the voices wouldn’t stop. Even in the heat of battle they weren’t this bad, each one trying to futilely claw her in a different direction. None of them were able to deal with the failure of her and every single person they knew. Giving conflicting instructions, most of them impossible.If Natalie didn’t wake up, Renée was going to kill Loba with her bare hands. Slowly. Painfully.
Relationships: Wattson | Natalie Paquette/Wraith | Renee Blasey
Comments: 14
Kudos: 155





	A Steady Beep

**Author's Note:**

> Today I woke up and my brain spat out a scene based on the new event fragment and absolutely demanded that I write it out. Given my soft spot for sad femslash, I obliged lol.
> 
> I love that the event is riddled with lore but the whole one-pack-a-day is meaning that I'm mostly just watching them on YouTube. I'm not a play-a-game every day type of gal, I prefer very long sessions once or twice a week. I wish you could just collect multiple lunchables a day.

The sound was driving Renée crazy.

Not the heart rate monitor, that was her only anchor to this world, really.

But the voices wouldn’t stop. Even in the heat of battle they weren’t this bad, each one trying to futilely claw her in a different direction. None of them were able to deal with the failure of her and every single person they knew. Giving conflicting instructions, most of them impossible.

Being in the darkened room is suffocating. Renée felt like she was already in a tomb, the hospital room darkened as night fell. Only a single yellow light lit behind Natalie’s head, her unconscious form eclipsing it. The backlighting almost made it look like she was glowing, like an angel fallen to earth.

If Natalie didn’t wake up, Renée was going to kill Loba with her bare hands. Slowly. Painfully.

Or maybe throw her to the prowlers, watch her be torn limb from limb. Lie there, painfully bleeding out, all alone. Except unlike Natalie she wouldn’t even have the hope of someone coming to rescue her.

Who was Renée kidding? The best option would be to just hand her over to Dr. Nox. Normally his fondness for her girlfriend made Renée’s stomach lurch but the evil that resided in that man had to be good for something, right?

Either way Loba would die alone and no one would miss her.

But Natalie. The world would miss Natalie.

Where Loba had turned her tragedies into a reason to isolate herself and become something sinister, Natalie had turned them into her biggest strengths. Everything in her life was like placing an offering to the shrine of her beloved father. Carrying on his legacy. Keeping the love crackling alive in her heart, electric and strong. Something no one could ignore.

Lying next to her, Renée traced the lines of Natalie’s profile with her eyes.

Normally when they lay together, they’d face each other. Eye contact always made Renée uncomfortable. Except with Natalie.

It was Natalie’s favorite part of the day and Renée knew it because she says it at the end every time. That short interval of time before they turned the lights off at night where they’d spend about ten minutes just lying there, looking into each other’s eyes and talking about anything and everything.

How their days went. What they wanted to do on their day off. Funny stories from the games. Sad stories from their past. Natalie was always interested in the other universes. Renée told her all she could to the best of her ability.

What would they be talking about now?

Well, that was a stupid thought. It would be ‘what happened?’

But they couldn’t discuss that, not yet. When Natalie woke back up, sure. When tubes and wires weren’t hanging off her everywhere. A drip keeping her going. That beeping, growing more and more incessant with each tone, the anchor wrapping around her neck and dragging her down, down, do-

Behind you.

Renée whipped around and Elliot jumped, nearly dropping the two containers in his hands on the ground.

Gripping them to his chest, he yelped, “All I did was walk in!”

She relaxed but just barely. For once glad to see Elliot’s idiot face and not that horrible woman. Kept feeling like she’d show up. An irrational part feeling like Loba would try to finish her off. But that one was stupid. Loba, for all her selfishness and short sightedness, was not here to hand personally kill any of them.

You’re staring. Glaring, really.

Elliot was frozen in place, waiting behind the invisible line for permission.

But growing increasingly fidgety and impatient.

“What do you want?” Renée’s tone is much colder than intended.

“Just… brought you two some food,” Elliot held out the containers towards them. They were clear and had little bumblebees on them, the contents inside unsurprising.

“You know people tease you about eating nothing but pork chops, right?”

Offended, he gripped them tighter, “Well if you’re going to be ungrateful about them, I can go and eat them by myself. I’m not too proud to sadly eat pork chops alone in a hospital parking lot. Wouldn’t be the first time, wouldn’t be the last.”

“No, no,” Renée waved him over, holding out her hand for one, “You’re obsessed but they’re good. Hand it over.”

“Oh shit,” he complied, putting one of the two containers in her hand, “There was a compliment in there. You’re really messed up, huh?”

She didn’t answer. Carefully, as not to disturb Natalie, she rolled onto the back and cracked the container open. So much hungrier than she thought. How long had it been since she last ate? She was dangerously close to just picking up the food with her bare hand and shovelling it in. Thankfully, Elliot dropped a fork on her lap.

The man froze as he watched Renée cram it down in record time, surprised she didn’t gnaw on the bone afterwards.

“You know Natalie’ll be fine if you stop by the cafeteria a few times a day, right?”

“How could I be sure?”

Renée’s past wasn’t entirely a secret from everyone else. Elliot knew a bit about her being a test subject and had just enough brain cells to know that, perhaps, the woman was a bit distrustful of doctors and hospitals.

He made a note to contact Dr. Nox and tell him to bring up food for her.

Ew, texting Dr. Nox. Now that was a weird thing to think about.

But Elliot knew the man was around here constantly. Kinda surprised he hadn’t run into him but also grateful for that.

He made a move to set the second pork chop onto the rolling side table.

“What are you doing? We have no idea when she’s getting up, go put it in the fridge,” Renée pointed at the small one behind him.

“But it’ll get cold,” Elliot complained, “It’s not as good when it’s cold.”

“It’s also not good when it’s riddled with bacteria that make it unsafe to eat because you left it sitting in a hospital room for hours.”

He pouted, complying and putting it away, “There’s a microwave somewhere. Microwave it when she wakes up.”

“Is the container microwave safe?”

“No.”

“Then I’m not gonna microwave it.”

“Well then, call me when she wakes up and I’ll come microwave it,” Elliot threw up his hands, “You’re being difficult.”

“YOU’RE being difficult,” Renée sniped back.

A third voice grumbled, “If you keep fighting like that, you’re going to wake her up yourselves.”

Oh so the voices will warn her about Elliot walking in with pork chops but they won’t warn her about Dr. Nox returning? Great. That’s a good thing to know. Phantasmal traitors.

Even though Renée knew that Dr. Nox was pacified right now, not a threat, she couldn’t help but feel frightened as he reached over her. Gently placing a hand on Natalie’s unconscious form, over her interlaced hands resting on her stomach.

It would never not be weird, seeing the evil doctor doing his best imitation of "being affectionate."

Renée tried to reframe him in her mind as her terrifying uncle-in-law.

It didn’t help.

The sound of the beeping was thunderous. Each one starting to become like an ice pick to the brain, cutting through the mumbling voices like a sharpened knife. Renée closed her eyes against the racket.

Elliot broke the uncomfortable silence, “I didn’t bring you a pork chop. Uh, sorry? Didn’t know you’d be here.”

“I’m always here,” Dr. Nox wasn’t far off, not looking anywhere but at Natalie’s unconscious face, “And I don’t want a pork chop.”

The beeps took over again.

Elliot laughed nervously, “Hey, can we turn that thing off? It’s giving me a headache.”

It was a joke but told to the incredibly wrong audience. Both Renée and Dr. Nox shooting him a look that could melt a shield right off your body.

He took that as his cue to leave, “Well, just wanted to drop off some food for you guys. I’ll just… be on my way. Right now. Bye!”

Elliot punctuated his sentence by stopping by Natalie’s bed one last time. Much less sure of how to express his affections as the other two. Settling on gently grabbing her ankle and shaking her leg a bit.

That earned even harsher glares he didn’t see as he zipped out of the room.

Rolling back over, Renée latched her stare back onto Natalie like she could will her back awake.

Asking her remaining companion, “What are they saying?”

“I’m making the rounds,” Dr. Nox spoke like he owned the hospital, “I don’t know if Dr. Che has been visiting but if it comforts you in some measure, she’s working her way into being in charge of the situation. I guess you could say my presence is… helping. With that.”

Dr. Che. Who the hell called Ajay that? Just her fellow doctor, Renée supposed.

But it did comfort her. Many times Ajay had pulled them from the brink of death in the games. There was no medical professional Renée would rather have on the case.

Although Renée was admittedly surprised that Dr. Nox was only using his oppressive presence to further Ajay’s position and not his own. But she supposed that Dr. Nox’s background didn’t suit the situation all that much and he was more than smart enough to know when to back down.

She was being too quiet again.

Dr. Nox didn’t seem to mind. If anything it gave him an out to leave without a goodbye. Always his preference.

When the door slammed shut behind him, Renée went back into the stupor of beeps and whispers. Both a comfort and her curse. Like being lost in the fog and constantly jabbed by an enemy just past sight.

But she had to keep watching, thinking it unbearable for Natalie to wake up alone. Reaching over and gently flopping the woman’s head to the side so the first thing she would see is Renée’s face and not the cold unfeeling ceiling of the emergency ward.

Normally Natalie looked troubled when she was asleep. Plagued by nightmares that shook her like a ragdoll before tossing her back into the real world. A dark crack of sadness that tempered Natalie’s mind when she couldn’t distract it with loved ones and work.

Renée was both relieved and worried that Natalie looked so… peaceful.

Once again, the steady beeping became something calm. Trustworthy. Dependable.

Feeling her pale eyes grow heavy, Renée leaned forward for another one of their pre-bed rituals. A chaste peck on the lips, nothing that would rile them up but a silent promise that they’d still love each other in the morning.

Her tired hand slid down Natalie’s face as Renée finally let sleep begin to take her after two long days.

But as her ghostly eyes began to shut, bright blue ones fluttered open.


End file.
